"The stunning victory claimed by opponents of Syrian domination in Lebanon's parliamentary elections marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the strategically placed Middle East nation ...

"In what was seen as a rebellion touched off by the assassination of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri four months ago, an anti-Syrian alliance that tried to bridge religious lines and was led by Hariri's son, 35-year-old Saad Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, won all the 28 contested seats in northern Lebanon, the last polling area in the elections that have been staggered over the past four weeks ...

"The result was a startling change in the way politics have usually been carried out in Lebanon - along strict clan and religious lines and long under the control of Syria - and perhaps an example of a greater yearning for democracy in the Arab world."

Elias Aoun Daily Star, Lebanon June 21

"Pertinent issues for the new parliament and cabinet include finalising a border agreement with Syria; ensuring bureaucratic efficiency and transparency through political diversity; lowering the voting age to 18; and securing the release of Lebanese prisoners in Syrian and Israeli jails ...

"The Lebanese have to overcome their past, move beyond mundane politics, and plan a politically stable and economically vibrant nation. The Lebanese should begin to define themselves in terms of what they are for, rather than what they are against. If Lebanon is to achieve greatness, cynicism and destructive practices should be left behind."

Daily TelegraphEditorial, June 21

"Now that anti-Syrian euphoria has faded, the balance of forces in the new parliament is a sobering reminder of Lebanon's political complexity. The main bloc brings together Mr Hariri, a Sunni, the Druze Walid Jumblatt and various Christian factions. The second is composed of the Shia groups Hizbullah and Amal. The third includes General Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian who was driven out of Lebanon by Damascus in 1990 but, having returned from exile last month, linked up with pro-Syrian candidates for the election.

"Preventing these forces from slipping back into the factionalism that led to civil war and the establishment of a Syrian protectorate will require continued western attention."

Independent Editorial, June 21

"The result does not of itself, of course, mean a new dawn of democracy, still less the kind of pro-western, amenable government that Washington and Paris ... would like. Under Lebanon's tortuous constitution, forged in the violence of civil war and sectarian conflict, seats in the parliament are allocated to ensure equal representation for Christian and Muslim. It is a structure designed to keep the various factions locked into the political process. But it is also a system that tends to emphasise sectarian differences ... and keep Shias in particular under-represented."

Issa Goraieb L'Orient Le Jour Lebanon, June 21

"The elections finally ended in an atmosphere of calm that contrasted, thank God, with the ferocity of the invective exchanged by the enemy camps ... Now that the dust has settled, hope and optimism leads us to believe, though without excessive naivety, that there will be a willingness for change from all parties. Will the victors of the day be able to hold all their promises ... without slipping back into a democratic despotism? ... To deny the voice of their democratically elected adversaries in parliament would be the act of a bad winner."